HELP! Setting bullet depth.

[Stormin30]

Hello CGN'ers

Reloading for Browning .358 BLR
Yes this is my first time reloading rifle rounds. I have a question but first to eliminate any questions I HAVE:
- Lubed inside with Lyman mica powder.
- Lubed outside with hornady casing lube.
- Re-sized with a full length RCBS die.
- Cases trimmed to 2.005
- De-burred casings and wiped off grease.
- Weighed every case and placed in order. (I know super anal)
- Primers installed in 25 casings. (5 rounds @ 5 different grn increments)
- Chose 200 grn Hornady FTX bullet.
- Intend to take the max load and work down in .5 grn increments.
???Question comes with setting the bullet???
I set the bullet and covered the bullet with dry erase ink. Inserted the non primed dummy round into the rifle and found that the bullet did not touch the lands.
OK. The Hornady bullet has grooving on the bullet. Is the bullet to be pressed down to this ring? Or is setting the bullet to the lands priority? The spire point will make this bullet sit further out than the ring unlike a round nose. What is best?
Is this ring for an effective crimp? (I assume). Should I crimp? What I have read in another thread is don't crimp.

So I sit late at night with a couple of questions hoping for some wisdom to flow quickly over the internet from fellow CGN'ers.

I can say if you have made it this far I wish to thank you for reading. Now If you have wisdom on this issue please reply so I can complete the task at hand.
Eagerly awaiting advice.

Sincerely,
Stormin20

 

[SaddleTramp]

With your BLR being magazine fed you shouldn't need to crimp the neck. If you seat your bullet out too far you may encounter feeding problems. I don't care too much for seating the bullet close to the lands. I think this procedure is more for the bench rest shooters and competition types. I don't think it will help your accuracy with your BLR. Over All Length and feeding ease is the most important aspect. Some will disagree of course. The crimping groove sometimes works and crimping is necassary with tube magazines. When loading my 30-30 or 32-40 the crimping groove or canalure is usually inside the case neck. You have to seat the bullets to cycle in the action. With the BLR you need them to fit the magazine.Sometimes rounds will move ahead with recoil and jam your magazine for a follow-up shot. Your spire points will be longer. Check all rounds for fit and function.

 

[7.62mm]

- Intend to take the max load and work down in .5 grn increments.

You might want to rethink this procedure......

General wisdom has it, that you work from the Min. Load UP!

You definitely want to make sure that the rounds don't have feeding issues with the Mag, whatever length is reliable, and will then chamber in the gun, is where you are going to end up COL wise.

If this is going to be a hunting gun/reloads, I personally would put a light crimp on the bullet, but that is my preference. I don't want anything to go wrong at that important moment! I use a Lee Factory Crimp Die for this procedure, again, personal preference! Yes the Cannalure on the bullet is for crimping into, but not necessary.

 

[Boomer]

You might want to rethink this procedure......
General wisdom has it, that you work from the Min. Load UP!

X2

Start about 5 grs below max and work up in 1 gr increments until you see pressure signs, then reduce your load by 1 full grain and you will have a safe working load that will not produce any less performance than the maximum load which will shorten case life dramatically. A chronograph will bear this out, and if you are using a chronograph while load testing, which I highly recommend, do not exceed the published maximum velocity with any given combination of components regardless of a lack of visible pressure signs, and regardless of whether or not your powder charge is lower than the book value.

The BLR is a hunting rifle rather than a sub MOA match rifle, so sorting your brass by weight serves no purpose, some argue it serves no purpose in a super accurate match rifle either, but that is for another discussion. If you can work up a load that shoots within 1.5 MOA and if you can learn to shoot it within 3 MOA from field positions under realistic field conditions you will be ahead of 90% of the hunters you'll ever likely encounter.

IMHO, reliable cycling and functioning trump all other considerations in a big game rifle and that needs to be considered when you choose your OAL. If your target game animal has a 12" vital zone, your rifle doesn't need to be target rifle accurate. Although shooting nice tight groups from the bench is a good confidence builder, they don't have much practical application. Generally your target does not have a specific aiming point like a bullseye target does. So if you can consistently cover your group with the palm of your hand on a stationary target without an aiming point you'll do fine. Just make sure your ammo feeds through your gun incase you need to make a fast follow up shot, so try it before you need it. More often than not this means resizing to minimum dimensions which does shorten brass life compared to neck sizing and bumping the shoulder and seating bullets to the cannelure if it has one. In the field you don't want difficulty when chambering a round in your rifle because the shoulder wasn't set back far enough or because your round hung up in the magazine due to a long seated bullet. Once you are comfortable with your marksmanship try moving targets and shooting from your support side rather than your strong side. If you are right handed and you spot a game animal on your right side, its easier and faster to make the shot left handed then it is to pivot into position for a right hand shot.

 

[mbogo3]

Yes most lever actions can't be run full power like a bolt action .Savage 99's come to mind................Harold

 

[cosmic]

Set the OAL based upon the cannelure - thats what its there for. For a lever gun, there is little-to-no upside to seating to the lands, particularly if you are a newbie.

 

[hunter5425]

For my wife's BLR (308) the limiting factor for the OAL is the magazine so I load to give reliable feeding and have done. I don't crimp any of my loads but many others do, see which works best for you. Not to beat a dead horse but start at the min and work up, it will say that somewhere in your loading manual(s) and if you don't have one I highly recommend you get one as they are full of information besides just recipes. Good luck on your new hobby.

 

[Stormin30]

- Intend to take the max load and work down in .5 grn increments.
Translation needed: Load from 47 gn 2000. fps to 51 gn 2500 fps in .5 gn increments.
Min load stated is 43.1 gn.

- Where does one find the pressure ratings for a Browning 358 BLR? I this where I should start working my load?

- "The BLR is a hunting rifle rather than a sub MOA match rifle, so sorting your brass by weight serves no purpose, some argue it serves no purpose in a super accurate match rifle either, but that is for another discussion."
I realize that this is not required for this hunting rifle or possibly any rifle as you stated. The way that I look at this procedure is that I want to experience reloading not just stack the meat in the freezer. Through every step I learn new things and become more comfortable with brass. Like free schooling without buying a match grade gun and barrel if you will. When the time comes for that I will have some experience.

To use the cannelure on the FTX bullet will put the base of the bullet past the shoulder of the case increasing pressure. I have read in my manuals that setting the bullet to the end of the neck is a rule of thumb. The base is much longer on the FTX then the regular Hornady 35cal bullets.

- I have emailed Hornady requesting reloading data on the FTX 200gn bullet for .358 Win.

Thanks for all the input.
Sincerely,
Stormin30